


One by One, They'll Come Undone

by onoheiwa



Series: Kurofai Week '16 [2]
Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Fem!Fay, Genderbending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 16:29:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8497267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onoheiwa/pseuds/onoheiwa
Summary: Kurogane hated these parties. His eyes roved the floor, searching for a familiar face or anyone he could tolerate talking to for more than thirty seconds. He had done his usual rounds and conversed with everyone he needed to and was hoping to end the night having had at least one worthwhile conversation. His perusing brought him to a tall, pale figure and all his attention narrowed in on that single point across the room.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the song "Duet" by Penny and Sparrow. 
> 
> Here is what I imagine Fai's [uchikake](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/84/3e/aa/843eaa618eaf4308a186908854ed9462.jpg) looks like. 
> 
> BTW, WHY HAS NO ONE MADE ANY ARTWORK FOR GENDERBENT TRC CHARACTERS?!??!?!?! This is a travesty!  
> Anyway, I could not imagine Kurogane as a female no matter how hard I tried, but with Fai it isn't that much of a stretch, hence the choice. I kind of wanted this to be more sultry and UST but I'm just not good at that in a short one shot. Be gentle with me.

Kurogane planted himself firmly on one of the tall stools and flagged down the bartender. “Whiskey.” 

 

The man nodded and bent to retrieve a glass and a bottle, pouring out two fingers of rich, golden ichor and sliding the crystal tumbler into the man’s waiting grasp. He knocked the first shot back quickly, gesturing for a second that he simply held between his fingers to sip on more slowly than the first. 

 

He hated these parties. 

 

The alcohol settled in his gut and spread warm tendrils out through his body, smoothing his frayed nerves and calming his temper enough for his fist to stop clenching and his brow to unfurrow. He swiveled around in his seat, shifting to rest a foot on the floor and his back against the bar, his glass in hand and his eyes roving the massive dance hall. It was beautiful - crystal chandeliers and wide glass windows, the polished cherry floors shimmering under the lights. Elegantly dressed forms drifted in and out from one another, the dance floor sparsely occupied while the fringes of the room roiled with the chaos of a net of caught fish. The beautiful faces left a sour taste on his tongue and a curl of disgust in his belly, the smiling masks hiding hollow eyes and ill intentions. 

 

He bit back a sigh and took a sip of his drink, promising himself that he would leave soon. His eyes roved the floor, searching for a familiar face or anyone he could tolerate talking to for more than thirty seconds. He had done his usual rounds and conversed with everyone he needed to and was hoping to end the night having had at least one worthwhile conversation. His perusing brought him to a tall, pale figure and all his attention narrowed in on that single point across the room. 

 

He could hardly breathe. 

 

Long, cornsilk hair fell in soft, messy waves down a slim back, the fine strands shifting with the owner’s every movement. Her uchikake was a dark, midnight blue drape around her thin frame. It was patterned with rich teal and green leaves in blended, inky watercolor and scattered over with pearlescent, white flowers and butterflies that leapt out from the darkness like stars in the sky. The deep, vivid shades highlighted her pale hair and were a like a breath of peace and fresh air among the bright, garish colors of the other court ladies whose dresses were meant to enhance their beauty like shimmering gemstones but only hurt Kurogane’s eyes. 

 

Her back was turned, her graceful steps leading the elegant sweep of her thick, traditional Nihon coat along the floor behind her, a near silent rustle of fabric that Kurogane swore he could hear even from across the room. The crystal chandeliers’ lights glittered in her blonde hair, a glow of pale moonlight among a crowd of blazing suns and harshly burning fires. He inhaled sharply when she finally turned around, her face gentle with delicate features and large blue eyes, a polite smile in place for the dignitary who had called her attention. 

 

She was breathtaking. 

 

Kurogane watched on in hunger, tracking her every movement, following her steps and trying to read her expressions, wondering what she thought of all the glamour and masks, wondering if she was as weary with it as he. 

 

She worked a path around the room, smiling and chatting amiably all the way, a slow journey with each step bringing her closer and closer to where Kurogane still sat at the bar, the drink in his hand long forgotten. Long after the time when he had told himself he would leave had passed, she had come to his side of the room, so near he could almost touch the end of her trailing sleeves. The crowd around the edges of the room had thinned considerably, the guests finally having had their fill of drink and moved onto the dance floor leaving a mere handful of souls still milling at the bar and in the corners of the hall, and her final conversationalist was pulled away by a haughty face and claw-like fingers. She gave a slight bow in farewell, the action precise and smooth, and smiled one last time as they turned away. 

 

Her shoulders slumped on a sigh. 

 

Kurogane cleared his throat, quelling a grin when she jumped at the sound, startled, and turned to him with wide eyes. He simply watched her for a long moment, his heart racing as those sparkling blue eyes looked at him, calculating, and he took a sip of his newly remembered drink while he thought. 

 

“Why do you wear Nihon clothing when you are Celesian?” Kurogane asked, staring back calmly and willing his nerves to settle. 

 

She hesitated. “...It was a gift. From your young princess.” 

 

Kurogane raised a brow in question, both surprised that she knew Princess Tomoyo and entranced by her melodic, gentle voice and unable to force his throat into producing any sound for a long moment. 

 

She smiled at his expression, the first of all in the long hour past that seemed to reach her eyes. “My… sister, I guess you could call her, has long been Her Highness's friend, and so by extension I am as well. The Princess thought I would look better in this than I do in modern Celesian or Nihon formal wear.” 

 

Kurogane let his eyes travel slowly down and back up her form, lingering on the fine stitching, on the contrasting colors of midnight blue and the pale white skin of her wrists and neck. He made his way back to her eyes, shining bits of ocean and sky that gazed back at him with the same intensity with which he had looked at her. “She was right,” he said. 

 

Her smile was both gentle with genuine thanks for the compliment and blazing with heat, a strange blending of emotions and desires that made his chest ache. 

 

He wanted to touch her. 

 

She watched him for many long, long moments, the minutes ticking away on the clock and the music changed as he waited. She seemed to make up her mind, expression shifting slightly and Kurogane held his breath when she opened her mouth to speak. “Buy me a drink?” she asked. 

  
His breath whooshed out of his lungs in a gush, red gaze never leaving hers. “Yeah,” he said  after a long moment. “Yeah.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](onoheiwa.tumblr.com).


End file.
